


Turning the Tide

by NikkiB1973



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action & Romance, Angst and Feels, Drama & Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Reunions, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Dyad (Star Wars), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:13:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23559667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NikkiB1973/pseuds/NikkiB1973
Summary: This is set after the fight in the throne room in The Last Jedi. After the legacy saber is destroyed, Ben and Rey lie unconscious. She is the first to recover, and after gathering up the broken pieces of the saber, instead of fleeing right away, she makes a surprising decision.If Ben Solo won’t listen to her, then maybe he’ll listen to his mother….
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 28
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

** Turning the Tide **

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-this is set after the fight in the throne room in The Last Jedi. After the legacy saber is destroyed, Ben and Rey lie unconscious. She is the first to recover, and after gathering up the broken pieces of the saber, instead of fleeing right away, she makes a surprising decision. If Ben Solo won’t listen to her, then maybe he’ll listen to his mother…._ **

** Chapter One-The Decision **

Rey climbed to her feet and slowly spun around in a disorientated circle. It was like she was in a dream. Remnants of the small fires burned all around her, creating an eerie effect in the throne room. She tried to avoid looking at Snoke’s severed body, cut in half, and lying dead at the base of his throne. Surrounding her on all sides were the broken bodies of the Praetorian guards. Rey groaned, one hand rising to touch her throbbing temple. After all the violence the throne room was eerily quiet. Instinct told her to flee, to get away as fast as possible before she was discovered and became trapped on this damn ship. Chewie was waiting for her in the Falcon. One signal from her and he would come riding to her rescue.

Except….

Rey’s hazel eyes fell onto the only other living being in the throne room. Kylo Ren lay unconscious on the cold floor. His hair, so black against skin so white, only served to make him appear all the more ghostly, more haunted. His eyes were closed, his breathing gentle and even. No one would have believed he had been involved in a desperate fight for survival only moments earlier. His face was relaxed, too innocent in repose. It angered Rey. He should be hurting. Just like she was. The pain of his betrayal tasted bitter in the back of her throat.

_“Ben Solo will turn!”_

She had been so sure that would happen, so convinced in her righteous arrogance that he would follow where she led. Instead the opposite had happened. His hidden agenda had only been revealed after she helped him defeat the cursed guards. Rey’s eyes moistened as she remembered the feeling of pure joy that had flooded through when she had beseeched him to save the resistance fleet, only for it to die just as quickly when he proposed that they should join together and ‘let old things die,’ including the Resistance, and bring a new order to the galaxy. Despite her entreaties he had resolved to continue down his dark path and no words of hers were going to change that.

Kylo Ren had offered his hand, pleading with her to stay with him so that they could rule the galaxy together, to destroy the past he hated so much. She had been tempted, so tempted. And she hated herself for it. Hated him, too.

“Why?” Rey yelled at his fallen figure. “Why did you have to go this way?”

Her only answer was the gentle cadence of his breathing as he remained in an unconscious state. His lack of response bothered her, even though she knew she was being ridiculous. Hunkering down next to him, she was close enough now to hear his heart thump in accordance with his slow, shallow breaths. Serenity was plastered across his face, a peace that he shouldn’t be allowed, she decided, in his obliviousness to the physical world.

“I won’t let this happen.” Rey snapped at him. “You were our last hope. You were my last hope.” She couldn’t hold back the choked sob that threatened to overwhelm her. Sucking in a sharp breath she went to slap his face, but when her palm came into contact with his skin it turned into the gentlest caress.

Scowling, Rey snatched her hand back as if it had betrayed her. “I won’t let you get away with this.” She muttered resentfully. “If you won’t listen to me…then maybe you’ll listen to the one person you’re afraid to face…your mother.” Her eyes closed briefly in pain as she thought of having to tell General Organa of her failure to bring Ben home. No, she couldn’t bear it. She would bring Leia’s son home, even if she had to drag him there kicking and screaming.

Resolved on her crazy new plan, Rey rose to her feet and hunted for the cuffs that had once been wrapped around her own wrists. She needed something to bind him in case he regained consciousness before she got him to the Falcon. After a frantic search, she found them discarded just a few feet from Snoke’s dead body. Ignoring the horrific sight of the fallen Supreme leader, Rey picked up the cuffs and rushed to secure them around Ben’s wrists.

Now she just had to figure out how to move him. Rey gritted her teeth as she bent down and took hold of his boots. She stepped back, trying to drag his comatose body along with her, but it was too much, he was too heavy. She scowled in frustration as she tried again and again to drag him along with her, but she was soon sweaty and out of breath.

“Ugh!” Rey wanted to scream. “Think, Rey, think!” Angry tears welled in her eyes as she glared down at him resentfully. Her fingers twitched by her sides in aggravation as she focused all her attention on Ben’s comatose body. She could feel the Force swirling around her, strong in its intensity…

_The Force!_

“How can I be so stupid!” Rey chastised herself in annoyance at the obvious answer. She extended her arm, her fingers outstretched as she summoned the Force, manipulating it to help her move Ben. And slowly, to her delight, just like the rocks she used to practise on, his body began to rise off the floor.

* * *

The Supremacy was still in chaos. After Rey had used the Force to summon the Skywalker lightsaber to her grasp. Ben, his entreaty rejected, had raised his own hand to harness the Force around the lightsaber, causing it to stop mid-flight. Neither Ben or Rey had relented as both continued to call upon the Jedi weapon with equal determination. In the midst of their standoff, the lightsaber's kyber crystal wailed through the Force, seeking resonance and harmony where there was nothing but dissonance. The crystal ultimately sheared apart, unleashing a wave of energy that tore the lightsaber in half before consuming the throne room in a flash of brilliant, blinding light. In addition to rendering both Force users unconscious, the shock wave of Force energy coincided with the sacrifice of Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, who crashed the Raddus into the Supremacy at lightspeed, splitting the First Order flagship in half before it could destroy all of the Resistance transports.

With the Supreme leader dead, no one was taking control. Rey used this chaos to her advantage. She had contacted Chewie. He was already on his way. She had deliberately kept him in the dark about her mad plan to kidnap Ben and hold him hostage. If she had allowed herself time to pause and consider what she was doing, the rational part of her would have abandoned the crazy idea, but she didn’t allow herself to think. Thinking was overrated.

Rey reached the docking bay without consequence. She watched as Chewbacca crash landed the Millennium Falcon, causing the ship to swerve across the bay, destroying enemy Tie fighters in its wake. Rey saw the tall Wookie waiting for her on the opened ramp. It was now or never. Making a mad dash toward the Falcon, she drew Ben along with her with the power of the Force. She saw Chewbacca’s eyes widen in surprise at the strange sight, before they darkened and he emitted an angry roar.

Rey felt the full force of Chewbacca’s anger at the sight of Ben. She knew he was reliving the moment Han had died, killed mercilessly by the hand of the boy he had once held great affection for. Rey looked at him pleadingly, begging the Wookie’s forgiveness. Chewbacca roared again, but he didn’t stop Rey as she switched positions and propelled Ben’s unconscious body up the Falcon’s ramp ahead of her.

“I’m sorry, Chewie.” Tears pooled in Rey’s eyes as she apologised to the anguished Wookie when she reached him. “I failed. I failed badly. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Chewie whined sadly as he stared down at Ben with haunted eyes. Rey was exhausted with the effort of using the Force to carry Ben’s body through the ship. As the ramp closed, her arm fell back to her side, and she fainted. Chewie caught her before she hit the floor. The same couldn’t be said for Ben. A groan escaped his parted lips when his body smacked against the hard metal walkway, winding him. He was beginning to regain consciousness. The tall Wookie growled his frustration as he was forced to put Rey down so he could deal with young Solo. He yanked Ben up into his arms none too gently, before carrying him swiftly down into the belly of the ship so he could imprison him in the cargo hold. Ben groaned again as Chewie dumped him unceremoniously on the floor and locked him inside.

**_A/N-thanks for reading! Just a crazy plot bunny that wouldn’t leave me alone. I always wanted Leia to have a chance to see and talk to her son…. please review._ **


	2. The True Face of the Monster

** Turning the Tide **

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you for reviewing this story!_ **

** Chapter Two-The True Face of the Monster **

Rey was unceremoniously flung out of her seat as Chewbacca dodged another Tie fighter. What was left of the Resistance fleet had finally managed to make it to Crait ahead of them. Crait was a small, desolate, and uninhabited planet located in a remote star system of the same name. The planet was rich in minerals and orbited one star. A thick crust of white-colored salt covered nearly the entire planet surface, with red-colored rhodochrosite base beneath. Dominated by large salt flats, the planet also featured mountains, canyons, and deeply sunken waterways—which were possibly home to aquatic creatures. The planet had a breathable atmosphere. The white salt-covered surface reflected the planet's sunlight, which would be blinding at midday. The sodium-containing salt also made the planet surface slippery, hard to travel; with gusts of wind sending up flumes of white salt. The planet was also inhabited by Vulptices, fox-like creatures with white, crystalline fur that lived within the burrows and tunnels beneath the surface of Crait.

“Ugh!” Rey groaned as she scrambled to her feet. “Chewie, are you okay?”

Chewie whined softly, apologizing for the rough ride. Rey settled in the co-pilots seat next to him. “You didn’t have much choice. Did the fleet make it?”

The Wookie indicated they did with a nod of his head. The First Order, still in absolute chaos because of the Supreme leader’s unexpected assassination, had called off the attack for now as they tried to regroup. Rey wondered who had given the order for them to pull back…Hux maybe? She didn’t know much about the chain of command.

Rey remembered Leia telling her that during the reign of the Galactic Empire, the early rebel movement—a loose network of rebel cells led in secret by Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan—established a secret outpost on the northern continent of the planet Crait. That was where Leia had taken the remnants of the Resistance fleet now. Rey just hoped that something of the old base had survived after being abandoned for so long. She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling an intense ache running down the length of her spine. Chewie gave her a sympathetic look as he piloted the Falcon toward the planet’s rugged surface.

* * *

Kylo opened his eyes, wincing as he felt an intense ache running down the length of his spine. He groaned as he attempted to raise his hand to rub the back of his neck, only to find both hands shackled at the wrists. Anger set in as he tried to yank the cuffs apart by the sheer force of his will alone. The muscles along his arms and back strained as he continued in his efforts to separate them, but the sharp pain running down his spine left him gasping in pain. Kylo rolled onto his side as the fire running along his spine rendered him helpless. What the hell was happening to him?

He moved nothing but his eyes as he tried to make sense of his surroundings, his mind racing while every muscle stayed rock still. The prison wasn’t designed for that purpose, the door was a regular door, it looked more like a cargo bay. Kylo calmed his racing heart as he tried to think about his situation objectively. Somehow, while he had lain unconscious, he had been kidnapped and was now being held hostage in the belly of this accursed ship. But who would have the audacity to imprison him? Hux? He rejected that theory straight away. The little shit wouldn’t have the balls to lock him up. Hux would go down the sneaky route and stab him while he was unconscious. So, that only left….

_“Rey!”_

Kylo growled her name, his muscles bunching in protest as he tried to break free of the cuffs again. The pain snapped along his spine and he groaned in defeat, collapsing onto his side, gasping for breath. He didn’t understand the source of his pain, and he began to feel like the walls of the cargo bay were closing in on him. Looking around all he could see was an indefinite expanse of grey. No light, no shadows. Just an empty grey. A feeling of suffocation, like his lungs were caving in. He was trapped, imprisoned in his own mind.

* * *

It felt like everything was closing in on her as Rey tried to take a step toward the cargo hold to check on Ben. She forced herself to take another step. And another. And another. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, like she was going to run out of oxygen. Her heart rate sped up, and so did her breathing. What was happening to her wasn’t natural. It was like she had been taken over by another’s panicked thoughts and feelings.

“Ben!” She gasped.

Of course, it had to be Ben.

Rey finally managed to reach the cargo bay door and leaned against it. It was quiet, too quiet. A flash, a creak. There was something lurking in the shadows. An evil no one can see. A monster that was tormenting her mind, a monster that seeks out the vulnerable and makes a home inside their head. She could feel it, raging inside her. Just under the surface. Just loud enough for her to hear, but there was a locked door in between her and the monster. It was locked in a room, but despite her best efforts it was trying to escape.

“No!” Rey shook her head, trying to clear it enough to focus. This was Ben’s nightmare, not hers.

Rey threw herself at the cargo bay doors, almost crying out in frustration at the white-hot lick of pain that sent her spine spasming. The darkness enveloped her with its white cold embrace and she cringed away from its icy touch, though it drew her in tighter with every movement. Everything and nothing folded into her, constricting her lungs until she was gasping with dizziness and the urge to vomit. She sank against the cargo bay doors as faces loomed out of the suffocating darkness, some she recognized-like Snoke-others that were strangers, but no less scary.

_“Ben, stop it!”_ Rey held her head in her hands, trying to tear into her skull and rid herself of the horrific nightmares Ben was projecting onto her. Was this what tormented him every waking minute of his life?

Rey clawed her way back onto her feet and finally managed to unlock the cargo bay doors. They slid open and she fell inside, landing heavily on her hands and knees. She found Ben lying on his side in a fetal position, his eyes were open and glazed over as if he was staring into an abyss.

Rey crawled over to him and put her hands on either side of his head. “Stop it!” She sobbed. There was no reaction from him. He was too far gone. “Chewie!” She screamed for the Wookie to help her. “There’s something wrong with him! Help me!”

Rey could feel the monster was still there. Tearing through the holes, trying to reach through what was left of Ben’s sanity. His humanity…

“Leave him alone!” Rey cried into the void.

The monster had been locked up inside his head for years. It was the only way he could function, but it was always trying to escape, to pull him completely into the darkness. The mental walls he had built up to protect himself were starting to collapse, to crumble.

And it knows.

Evil, echoing laughter resounded in his head as the monster revealed its true face….

Kylo felt the cuffs fall from his wrists as he was lifted up by a pair of strong, hairy arms. Arms that felt familiar and safe. His head lolled on Chewbacca’s shoulder just like it used to when he was a toddler and his surrogate uncle would cuddle him as he comforted him through yet another nightmare.

The monster had been waiting all this time, hoping that he’d let his guard down. Knowing that sooner or later the door would break. Kylo realized he could lose everything if he let it in. He locked it back in its mental prison and opened his weary eyes to find his Rey staring down at him, her hazel eyes brimming with tears.

“Where am I?” He pleaded thickly.

“On the Falcon. I kidnapped you.” Rey told him before taking a step back.

Kylo hated that she was gone from his line of sight. He panicked. He needed to see her lovely face. She was his light in the darkness. He tried to move, but found himself restrained by a strong pair of hairy arms. Those same arms which had comforted him only minutes earlier. “Chewbacca.” He mumbled.

The Wookie emitted a low growl in response. It wasn’t threatening, but not forgiving, either. Kylo turned his head to face his surrogate uncle, but instead he was caught short by the sound of a familiar, once beloved voice, murmuring his name. “ _Ben.”_

Ben felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest as Chewbacca released him and stepped aside to reveal his mother, Leia Organa.

**_A/N-thanks for reading! Please review!_ **


	3. The Horrible Truth

** Turning the Tide **

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you for reviewing this story!_ **

** Chapter Three-The Horrible Truth **

Leia Organa Solo-once a Senator, a princess and leader of the Rebel Alliance, now a General in the Resistance-had never been a typical princess. Equally as comfortable firing a blaster or piloting a ship as she was conducting her royal duties, she had always maintained her greatest role was being a wife and mother. In the arrogance of her youth, she had been so sure that she could slot being a parent into all the other claims on her time. She was strong, she was capable, there was no way that she would struggle with this. Leia’s devotion to duty and to the cause of freedom was one of her defining characteristics. This devotion had come between her and Han on countless occasions throughout the early years of their marriage, and only intensified after their son was born. Leia loved Ben fiercely, that had never been in question. But instead of taking a step back, instead of devoting the time to care and nurture her only child through the early years of his life, she had allowed those precious years to be swallowed up by other, more pressing engagements.

Leia had noticed her son was force sensitive before birth. Just like her father Anakin Skywalker. As much as Leia and Han had tried to be there for Ben, his childhood was riddled with inconsistences. A father who was prone to taking long trips to far off places and a mother with diplomatic responsibilities to her planet and her people, he had begun to feel unwanted early in life. Ben was also such a restless baby. Leia recalled how Han would often put him to sleep on his shoulder, in an attempt to have a fatherly bond with him since he did not have a force bond with him. She wondered why Han had never been able to see that didn’t matter. Ben idolised Han growing up, even honing his inherited piloting skills to match his father’s, but Han always remained convinced that he didn’t share that _special connection_ with his son.

As the force grew within Ben, she and Han would often argue about his lineage not so subtly. Their marriage continued to disintegrate to the point where it was affecting Ben badly. His temper seemed to worsen as he got older, resulting in frightening outbursts that unnerved Leia to the point that she reached out to Luke for help. Her brother had been reluctant to take on Ben as a pupil, feeling he didn’t have the right temperament to be a Jedi. But Leia was desperate, her political career was hanging in the balance, her marriage was falling apart. She wanted Ben to have some security in his life, a mentor he could look up to and who could teach him to harness his growing powers so he could use then for the greater good. She had no idea at the time that sending Ben away would only cement his belief that he was unwanted, unloved. Leia knew that had been the point when she had lost not only him but Han as well. It remained her biggest regret.

“Ben.” She murmured as she looked at the broken boy…man… in front of her. Her eyes roamed his face, taking in his dishevelled black hair, and the paleness of his skin against the black uniform. His watchful eyes were wide and haunted as he stared at her in stunned silence. He looked so young, so vulnerable, so much the boy she remembered that it broke her heart. “My son.”

Leia reached up, staggered by how tall he was. Taller than the average man. She felt tiny standing next to him. She raised her hand, fingers extended as she attempted to touch his cheek, but Ben flinched away from her like she had slapped him. She felt tears prick at her eyes, she blinked them away furiously, but knew that Rey and Chewie had noticed.

“Leave us, please.” She ordered both of them.

Rey and Chewie exchanged a long look. As much as they didn’t want to go against Leia’s authority, they couldn’t in good conscious leave her alone with her estranged son. Leia was strong with the Force, but Kylo was much stronger. He would overpower her within seconds of them leaving. Chewbacca especially worried that he would hurt Leia. He had killed Han. Rey believed differently, but that didn’t mean she trusted Kylo entirely. She was still reeling from his betrayal in the throne room. He had shattered all her hopes after he refused to save the fleet after they had fought together when he had killed Snoke.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea…” Rey began tentatively.

Leia’s brown eyes snapped to Rey’s. She frowned, her bearing changing as she impulsively ordered them to leave again, her voice ringing with authority. “It wasn’t a request. It was an order.”

Chewbacca roared his disapproval. He was still restraining Kylo but it was only for show. If Ren decided to use the Force against him, he wouldn’t be able to withstand it. Rey was the only one who stood a chance against him.

“I understand your concerns.” Leia’s tone softened as she addressed the distressed Wookie. “But he won’t hurt me. I am certain of it.”

Chewbacca voiced his disagreement. Leia’s eyes were still locked on her son. His were on Rey. She couldn’t unravel the subtlety of his expression, could only watch and wonder as he kept his gaze trained on the young scavenger girl. Leia, force sensitive herself, could feel it flowing strongly around them. She could almost fancy that they were communicating silently. She noticed Rey frowning slightly as she stared back at Ben, then the way his lips twitched as if in silent rebuttal.

“Chewie.” Leia tried again. “I’ll keep Rey with me if it makes you feel better. But, please, do as I ask and leave us. I wouldn’t put myself through this if I really thought I was at risk.” She paused for a few seconds. “Han would agree with me.” She added.

The large Wookie growled while Ben actively flinched at the mention of his father’s name. Leia saw a slight sympathy flash in Rey’s eyes which she quickly concealed when she noticed Leia looking at her. There was so much she didn’t understand.

“You know it’s true.” Leia pressed her advantage with Chewbacca. “You can wait right outside if it makes you feel better.”

Chewbacca growled again as he finally acquiesced to Leia’s wishes. He reached for the cuffs and snapped them around Kylo’s wrists again, before shoving him none too gently to the corner of the cargo bay. Kylo refrained from retaliating to his surrogate uncle’s rough treatment as he emptied his face of all emotion and stared impassively at all of them. Chewbacca gave one last threatening growl in his direction before finally taking his leave.

Once the doors slid closed behind him, Leia immediately stepped forward and removed the restraints, tossing them carelessly to one side as she looked up at her son. “You’re not a prisoner.” She told him. “You are free to leave whenever you wish.” Leia saw his eyes dart to Rey again and she decided to call him out on it. “Why do you keep looking at her?”

Leia regarded them thoughtfully as she saw Rey’s face flush slightly in response, while Ben’s dark brows drew down. He was clearly frustrated about something. “What happened on that ship?” She asked abruptly.

“You don’t get to ask me questions!” Ben snarled angrily at the same time Rey let slip that he had assassinated Snoke.

“Ben!” The shocked gasp that left Leia’s lips just made his face darken.

“I did it for my own reasons.” Ben said bitingly as he glared down at his mother. “I didn’t do it for you or your pathetic resistance.”

Leia blanched at the ferocity in his tone. She drew in a sharp breath as she stepped back unsteadily. Rey’s lips drew into a thin line as she approached Ben. She locked eyes with him and Leia watched curiously as they seemed to engage in a silent battle of wills. Ben’s expression turned sour before his lips twisted into a bitter smile.

“I didn’t do it to save you, either.” He snapped at Rey.

Rey withdrew, her face paling slightly under the furious onslaught of his denial. Leia sighed heavily as she approached Ben again and reached up to cup his cheek, much like Han had done when they crossed paths on Starkiller base. Ben’s brown eyes widened slightly as he recoiled violently before her hand had a chance to connect with his skin.

“Don’t.” He muttered.

“Ben.” Leia said softly.

“Don’t call me that!” He responded through gritted teeth. “Your son is dead.”

Leia felt her heart increase its rhythm. She reached out again, this time avoiding his face but searching for his hand instead. Ben jerked away from her, the hand she had been hunting for curling into a tight fist. “Don’t pretend you give a damn about me now.” He accused.

Leia persevered and tried again. She was determined to reach the boy hiding behind the mask. Ben was there. She could sense it. She had captured a glimpse of her only child behind the resentful eyes. “I love you, Ben. Despite what you think, I always have.”

Ben’s eyes flashed with pain as he turned his head aside. His gaze once again travelled to Rey, but she immediately cast her eyes down to her feet, stubbornly refusing to look at him at all. Again, Leia could sense the strength of the force flowing around them, it was powerful and breath taking in its intensity.

“You have a connection.” She said aloud to both of them.

Their response was immediate, their eyes darting toward each other, faces flushing simultaneously as if their shameful secret had been exposed to the whole galaxy.

“Yes, I can feel it.” Leia continued softly. “I can feel the force binding you in some way.” She turned to face Rey, who quickly broke eye contact with Ben and focused guiltily onto Leia instead. “Did Luke sense it too?”

At the mention of Luke, Ben’s whole demeanour changed. His knuckles turned white from clenching his fists so hard. The animosity he exuded was like acid-burning, slicing, potent. His face was turning red from suppressed rage. Alarmed, Leia stepped back while Rey immediately took her place, blocking her from Ben’s view as they engaged in another silent battle of wills.

Oh, how Leia wished she could be privy to what was passing between them. She longed to understand Ben, to know what was passing through his head. What happened between her brother and her son to invoke such an infuriated reaction from him? She was ignorant about so much and it frustrated her.

“Ben, please, I need to know.” She begged him. “What happened between you and Luke? Why did you turn against him? Explain it to me because I don’t understand. He was your uncle. Your mentor. He showed you nothing but love and understanding- “

“SKYWALKER TRIED TO KILL ME IN MY SLEEP!” Ben exploded at his mother; his mixture of anger and despair leaking from him like molten lava.

The brutality of that statement rocked Leia to her very core, leaving her breathless. Her eyes shifted to the side and became glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As she blinked, they dripped from her eyelids and down her cheeks. She bit her lip tightly in a vain attempt to stop the painfilled moan escaping from her mouth. Gentle hands touched her shoulders as Rey rushed to comfort her. She stared at Rey, her lips quivering as her eyes silently begged her to deny the truth of Ben’s words. But the way Rey avoided eye-contact only confirmed that Ben spoke the truth.

“Why? I don’t und...” Leia began, but the rest was engulfed in tremors. Her face turned white as the recent trauma she had endured took its toll on her physical and mental health. As she collapsed against Rey, the last thing she heard before darkness encompassed her was Ben’s strangled voice calling her name.

**_A/N-thanks for reading! Did Rey ever tell Leia what Luke did that night? I’ve looked for proof that she knew but I couldn’t find anything in canon that confirmed it. If she did, I would love to know what her reaction was._ **

****


	4. The Monster Reveals Himself

** Turning the Tide **

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

**_A/N-thank you very much to those who left a review. Your feed back keeps me motivated._ **

** Chapter Four-The Monster Reveals Himself **

“The General is exhausted. She hasn’t fully recovered from her previous injuries. She needs rest.” The nurse droid explained to Rey before it began to mechanically go about its business.

Rey let out a relieved sigh. When Leia had collapsed against her, she had descended into a blind panic. But her panic was nothing compared to Kylo’s. She hadn’t been prepared for his reaction. In the grip of silent panic, his eyes wild, pupils dilated, he had rushed to his mother’s side and caught her in a bridal carry-much like he had once carried Rey when they had first encountered each other on Takodana-and lifted her into his arms.

“Ben.” Rey sobbed as his devastation hit her like a thousand knives in her chest. She immediately had to put up her walls in defense against his misery. It was bleeding through their force bond and affecting her ability to think. “We need to get help.” She gasped, her vocals felt strained, she was surprised anything came out at all. Fright consumed every cell of her body, swelling them with terror.

“Where...?” Kylo’s eyes were glassy, his breath came in short bursts as he gazed at Rey desperately.

“This way.” Rey bolted for the cargo bay doors. They slid open, revealing Chewbacca on the other side. The enraged Wookie roared his anger when he saw Kylo carrying a comatose Leia in his arms. Rey panicked that he was going to attack Leia’s son, but to her surprise Kylo started talking to him in a dialect called Shyriiwook. Chewbacca glared at Kylo, but he stepped aside and let his former surrogate nephew pass him. “Thank you, Chewie.” Rey whispered to him gratefully as she took the lead and went to find help.

* * *

The old Rebel Alliance base was in chaos, which only got worse when the Resistance fighters caught sight of their mortal enemy carrying their fallen General in his arms. Alarmed cries rang out through the base, and soon Rey, Kylo and Chewie found themselves swarmed by a group of armed fighters. Chewie roared his displeasure. Finn and Poe Dameron appeared, both of them shocked to the core by what was happening right in front of them.

“I haven’t got time to explain. Leia needs medical assistance.” Rey pleaded with Finn. She didn’t know Poe well enough to ask him anything. Finn gave her a hunted look as he turned to a defiant Poe and spoke to him in hushed whispers.

Poe cast several dark looks in Kylo’s direction as he argued with Finn. But given the desperate circumstances, he had no choice but to cave in to Rey’s demands. He and Finn began to clear a path through the agitated Resistance fighters, allowing Rey and Kylo to bring Leia to the temporary medical bay, which had hastily been set up to the rear of the base. As soon as Kylo gave up custody of his mother to the medical droids, Finn and Poe reappeared, with Dameron carrying a pair of cuffs in his right hand.

“Those aren’t necessary.” Rey hastily intervened. She glanced at Kylo anxiously, his brown eyes were still fixated on his mother. He didn’t appear to be aware of his surroundings or anything that was going on around him. She returned her attention to Finn and Poe. “Can you just give us some space, please?”

“Like hell!” Poe retorted bitingly. “Are you actually suggesting we give this asshole the run of the base?” He demanded. “He’ll kill us all…”

“We’d all be dead already if he hadn’t killed Snoke!” Rey snapped impatiently.

Poe’s bluster died as he stared at Rey open-mouthed. Finn edged in front of his friend as he captured Rey’s attention. “Is that what he told you, Rey?” He asked quietly. “You can’t trust Kylo Ren. This could all be some kind of trap.”

Rey sighed and rubbed her aching temples. “I was there when he assassinated Snoke.” She glanced at Kylo again in concern. He was watching the medical droids methodically work on his mother. His hands were hanging loosely at his sides, his shoulders slumped. He was still completely oblivious to everything else.

“You were there?” Finn was shocked. “I don’t understand. You were supposed to be with Skywalker.”

“There is so much I have to explain, but now is not the time. I just need you to trust me, Finn.” Rey looked deep into the warm brown eyes of her only friend, begging for understanding. He looked back at her; his brow furrowed in concern. After a few minutes he broke eye contact and went back to Poe, pulling Dameron away to a safe distance as they engaged in another heated discussion. Rey went to stand by Kylo again, while Chewie stood on his other side. Between them they made sure that the agitated Resistance fighters kept their distance. But Rey figured if looks could kill they would all be dead right now. The hostility was grating on her nerves. She hoped that Finn would be able to make Poe and the others see reason. If he didn’t, then they were all screwed.

The air was so brittle it could snap, and if it didn’t, she might, Rey thought when Poe and Finn finally seemed to reach a decision. Poe sent Finn to tell her what had been decided, while he left to address what was left of the Resistance.

“You’ve put us in an impossible position, Rey.” Finn said as he put his hands on his hips. “I’ve bought you some time. We need to hope that the General wakes up soon. I’m not sure how much longer we can placate everyone.” He shot a glare in Kylo’s direction, before lowering his voice to almost a whisper. “What happened on that ship, Rey? What drove him to kill the Supreme leader?”

“He did it to save me.” Rey admitted, turning away quickly before Finn could see the tears glistening in her eyes.

* * *

Kylo felt like he was in the midst of a nightmare. He felt like he might die from the pain clouding his mind. He was desperately trying to wake up, screaming for help, but nobody came. All he kept seeing was his father toppling from the metal walkway on Starkiller base and plummeting into the black depths below. Then it was no longer Han, it was his mother. He saw Leia tumbling off the same bridge, her eyes wide and accusing, screaming at him that it was all his fault. He had killed her, too. His heart pounded against his chest. He trembled as he stared at the metal walls of his temporary prison. He had no idea how he had gotten there. Everything was closing in around him. He couldn’t breathe. His tiredness swallowed him whole. Kylo’s ebony lashes fluttered and oblivion engulfed him. Sleep came over him like cruel shattering waves, more vivid than ever before. As though the intensity of his exhaustion had created a perfect canvas for them.

Like always, the voice was waiting, hiding in the darkness of his despair, ready to swallow him up as soon as he tried to rest. It no longer sounded like Vader, like Snoke. This voice was different, its cruel laughter biting into his shriveled soul as it whispered its weasel words. Kylo tried to shake it out of his head, but it wouldn’t leave. It got louder, trying to make itself heard above the defenses he put in place to curb its wicked noise. He pressed the palms of his hands to the side of his head as he tried to contain its accusatory tone.

_“It seems in your anger. You killed her!”_

“I didn’t.” Kylo let out a choked sob. “She’s alive. I felt it. Get out of my head.”

_“I am your worst nightmare.”_ A bleached white face appeared out of the shadows of his mind; its twisted features hidden beneath a deep black cowl. _“I have been every voice inside your head since before you were born. I have listened to your worst fears. I understand what makes you tick. I have complete control of you. I started you out with small tasks you found distasteful and worked you up to things you never dreamed you were capable of. Why did you do all this for me? Because I dangled the illusion of_ power _before you and let you get close enough to almost attain it. Then I asked you for one more little thing, to prove your devotion of course, to kill the girl, but you betrayed me. You have become the person your old self would have loathed beyond all others; you are the monster.”_

Kylo’s fingers sank into his inky black hair as he pulled at the roots in torment. His body wracked with raw sobs as he shook like a leaf. Fright consumed every cell in his body, swelling them terror.

The voice continued its vicious assault on his sanity, even as he tried to expel it from his head. _“I am your worst nightmare because I know it isn't your own pain you fear. You fear the pain of those you love more, isn't that the essence of love? Did you think I wouldn't know? I can't feel love of course, poison that it is, but understanding it makes my art all the greater. I never take out a worthy adversary until they cease to try, their loved ones however are fair game. The wonderful thing is you'll tell me who you really love with your actions, I won't ever have to guess my next best move.”_

In the darkness of his despair, he felt gentle hands uncurl his trembling fingers from his hair. Those same gentle hands cupped his face, pulling him close and chasing away the demon inside his head. With blessed relief his mind grew quiet. He fell to his knees in front of Rey and pressed his face into her abdomen as she curled herself around him, her cheek resting on top of his hair. Her touch was like a little touch of heaven. He wished he could stay inside her embrace forever. Her arms wrapped around him brought him a peace he’d never known before, a calming of the storms in his heart.

“Leia’s going to be okay.” Rey murmured against his hair.

Kylo felt himself grow warm with relief as he held onto Rey. He hadn’t killed Leia like he had killed Han. His mother was alive. His face remained pressed against her stomach, his hands resting on her hips. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, didn’t want to move again, ever.

Until he remembered what the voice had said. “ _The wonderful thing is you'll tell me who you really love with your actions, I won't ever have to guess my next best move.”_

**_A/N-thanks for reading!_ **


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